Board of Directors

The IRF Board consists of 16 individuals from three continents and many major conservation organizations:

Rick Barongi
The Houston Zoo - Houston, Texas USA - IRF Vice President for Africa
Rick Barongi has been working in the zoo and wildlife conservation field for over 35 years. He has a B.S. from Cornell University and M.S. from Rutgers University. He has been the Director of the Houston Zoo since 2000. In the past seven years the Houston zoo has privatized its operation from the City and increased its budget from $12 million to over $22 million per year. It's annual attendance is just over 1.5 million a year which ranks it in the top 10 AZA zoos in the country.

Prior to Houston, Rick held the position of Director of Animal Programs for Walt Disney World. He played a key role in the design, construction and opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom, a one billion dollar theme park. He created the first Disney Advisory Board for the Animal Kingdom park and helped to engineer the concept and formation of Disney's Wildlife Conservation Fund. Prior to Disney, Rick held mangerial positions at the San Diego Zoo and the Miami Metrozoo. He currently serves on several AZA and conservation boards, has consulted on numerous international conservation projects, and has led over 25 ecotours to Africa and Central America. 

Lee Bass, Lee & Ramona
Bass Enterprises Production Company - Fort Worth, Texas, USA - IRF Treasurer
Mr. Bass’ business interests include ranching, oil & gas production as well as various public and private investment vehicles. He has been active in conservation, serving six years on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission (six as its Chairman) and was named Chairman Emeritus in 2002. He serves on the board of The Peregrine Fund and is active in several other conservation organizations. His South Texas ranch is home to the most successful breeding programs for Black Rhino in North America.

Evan Blumer, VMD, MS
The Wilds - Cumberland, Ohio, USA
Evan S. Blumer is the Executive Director of the Wilds, a large scale (10,000 acre), conservation, research and education center. Evan has extensive experience with rhinos in both captive and free-ranging settings, including:  veterinary care, immobilization, transport/translocation, and many aspects of relevant scientific research. Dr. Blumer also serves on the Steering Committee of the IUCN Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG), the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group, and was the Chair of the AZA Rhinoceros Advisory Group (RAG) for 10 years.

Guy Cooper is the Director and Chief Executive Officer of Australia's Taronga and Western Plains Zoos. Western Plains is actively involved in the IRF Black Rhino breeding program.   Prior to his appointment as CEO of the Zoological Parks Board Guy served six years as a Board member occupying the role of Deputy Chairman. At the same time he also held the position of President of the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife. In his international business career Guy worked for both the Unilever and S.C.Johnson Wax organizations holding Chairman and Managing Director positions in a number of countries. During this time, he was actively involved in the start up of a number of successful flora and fauna conservation initiatives in Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

Mark Davis, DVM

Florida USA
Mark Davis is a wildlife and large animal practitioner in Southwest Florida. He was the veterinarian in charge of the Bongo Repatriation to Mt. Kenya in 2004. Mark also is a Board member of Rare Species Conservatory, Loxahatchee, Fl. and technical advisor for IRF. 

Don Farst, DVM

Brownsville, Texas, USA – IRF Secretary
Don Farst is the retired Director of the Gladys Porter Zoo which specializes in endangered species including rhino. Don is the former Species Coordinator in North America for the SSP program for the Black Rhino and is a Vice-Chair of the AZA Rhinoceros Taxon Advisory Group (Rhino TAG).

Mike Fouraker

Fort Worth Zoo - Fort Worth Zoo - Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Michael Fouraker is the Executive Director of  the Fort Worth Zoo, which manages three species of rhino:  black, white, and Indian. He is member of the AZA Rhinoceros Taxon Advisory Group (Rhino TAG).

Peter Hall
Hunter Hall Investment Management – London, United Kingdom
Peter Hall is the executive chairman of Hunter Hall Investment Management, Australia’s largest ethical investment fund manager with A$2.8 billion under management. Hunter Hall has donated over A$4 million to charities since listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2001. Peter is also a Trustee of ABC Trust, a charity working to assist underprivileged children in Brazil and Patron of the Asian Rhino Project.

John Lukas

White Oak Conservation Center - Yulee, Florida, USA - IRF President 
John Lukas is an internationally recognized conservationist. He is the General Director of White Oak Plantation and White Oak Conservation Center (WOCC), a 300 hectare private facility in Florida for propagation and research on endangered species, including rhinos, okapi, cheetah and many other rare species. As President of Gilman International Conservation Foundation, he is involved with in situ conservation around the world, most notably the Okapi Breeding and Research Center and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the Ituri Forest in the DRC, and the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary and in situ programs in Indonesia.  John also serves on the board of the Wildlife Conservation Network and the advisory boards of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

Ann Petric

Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield, Illinois, USA
Ann Petric works for/is employed by the Chicago Zoological Society and has extensive experience in management and conservation of black rhino. She currently serves as the Black rhino SSP Coordinator for AZA zoos. The Chicago Zoological Society has been a leader in conservation worldwide and especially supportive of rhino conservation through the Species Survival Commission of IUCN - The World Conservation Union.

Randy Rieches

San Diego Wild Animal Park, San Diego, California, USA
Randy Rieches is the Curator of Mammals at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, where he has worked for almost 30 years. Randy is the Vice-Chair of the AZA Rhinoceros Taxon Advisory Group, is the Species Coordinator for the AZA Indian Rhino SSP (Species Survival Plan), and a member of the IUCN Asian Rhino Specialist Group. 

 
Terri Roth, PhD
Cincinnati Zoological Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA – IRF Vice President for Asia
Terri Roth is the Vice President of Animal Sciences at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, which maintains three species of rhino:  black, Indian and Sumatran.  She is an eminent reproductive biologist who has led the major breakthrough in the science of successfully reproducing the Sumatran rhino in captivity. Terri is also the Research Coordinator for the AZA Rhinoceros Taxon Advisory Group.

 
Beth Stevens, PhD

Disney Worldwide Shared Services, Orlando, FL, USA
Beth Stevens PhD is the Sr. Vice President of Environmental Affairs for Disney Worldwide Shared Services. In this capacity, she oversees the development and implementation of environmental policy and strategy. Beth was previously Vice President of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Chair of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.

 
Peter Stevens MBE BSc DSc.
Retired Director of Paignton Zoo UK and now spends several months each year in Botswana where he is a trustee of the Morama Wildlife Trust which manages a wildlife reserve in NW Botswana. He is also a trustee of Marwell Preservation Trust UK and Marwell Zimbabwe Trust which is involved in the management of black rhino in the National Parks of Zimbabwe. Peter has received an honorary Doctorate and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2007 for services to wildlife conservation.

Harry Tennison

Game Conservation International - Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Harry Tennison is an avid conservationist of international renown. Educated at Baylor University and the University of Colorado, Mr. Tennison developed a deep interest in conservation.  He originated 30 different conservation programs worldwide, including dealing with the value of wildlife, education, and anti-poaching campaigns in East and South Africa and India. He was instrumental in developing the cooperative programs integrating both ex situ and in situ components for southern black rhino.

Bill Warren

 

John Knowles established Marwell Zoological Park in Southern England with his own money earned in a World wide Poultry breeding business. Once established he formed the Marwell Preservation Trust, a registered charity to which he gave the entire zoo including the freehold property .Marwell has always been committed to the conservation of endangered species and as well as a collection of Big cats has one of Europe’s largest collections of African hoofed stock. Through John’s personal efforts Marwell bred Roan antelope are the founders of a population in Swaziland where the species became extinct in 1961 and Sable have gone to South Africa and Scimitar horned oryx to Tunisia. John founded the Marwell Zimbabwe Trust which has always worked closely with the International Rhino Foundation.  John ceased to be involved with the Marwell Preservation Trust in 2006.

 

Jim Jackson